Did you know?

The growing popularity in Vietnam of fast-food outlets, and the high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt processed foods they sell, appears to be driving up the number of people affected by obesity-related metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes.

According to WHO, there are a billion overweight people worldwide – many living in developing countries – while a billion more are starving. In Vietnam, 28% of rural children suffer from malnutrition, according to the National Institute of Nutrition. Meanwhile, 20% living in urban areas suffer from obesity.

There is a cruel irony about the consequences of the nutritional transition in Vietnam. Previous generations fled the country in rickety boats to escape starvation and extreme austerity under communism during the cold war. They are being replaced by a new generation whose health and wellbeing are under threat from what might be termed over-consumption.